Advertising Strategy for Samsung Galaxy Series Mobile Phones on Through the Line Media during The COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia ^†

Abstract

During Q1 2021, Samsung Indonesia produced a great deal of advertising for their mobile phones from the middle segment to the premium segment. As a leading technology company in Indonesia with a high level of trust in society, Samsung always tries to reach its audience through many advertising media with different functions and goals. Focusing on the production of advertisements using Through the Line (TTL) media, this research was conducted to find out in detail the advertising strategy of Samsung Galaxy series mobile phones in marketing activities that play a strong role in maintaining the brand image of Samsung Indonesia. The study used a descriptive study design with a qualitative approach. The location was at TBWA\, a full-service advertising agency, and the data collection techniques were systematic observations. The expected advertising strategy was to achieve campaign objectives as a bridge between the client and the internal team. The advertising technique focused on by Samsung’s advertising campaign was Through The Line (TTL) media; with this, Samsung is expected to reach a wider audience and gain greater exposure. This is said to be effective for the sustainability of the Samsung brand in maintaining their image as a technology brand with a large number of users in Indonesia.

1. Introduction

The first case of COVID-19 occurred in Indonesia on 2 March 2020. This event was marked by the announcement of the first two cases by the President in the mass media, followed by other cases that worsened the national socio-economic condition and instigated a change in behavior among people, communities, businesses, and industries. The implementation of Community Activity Restrictions/Pemberlakuan Pembatasan Kegiatan Masyarakat (PPKM) in various regions was deployed with the aim of limiting community activities to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. PPKM regulated the work operations of various places and activities. The operational activities of some economic enterprises were limited to certain hours depending on the level of urgency of the activity [1].

Based on a survey from Badan Pusat Statistik Indonesia with a total of 254,817 respondents, the productive age group of 17–30 years old reduced mobility by 65.4%, with 67.4% avoiding crowds, and 65% keeping their distance. This had an impact: the order of social life changed and economic performance in Indonesia declined. The decline in Indonesia’s economic performance has been occurring since the first quarter of 2020, reflected in the rate of economic growth in the first quarter of 2020, which only reached 2.97%, and again decreased significantly in the second quarter of 2020, which grew by –5.32%. This can be seen in Figure 1 below, that in general the level of awareness of the respondents in implementing health protocols is quite good. However, everyone stays in the house and the wheels of the economy do not turn so the decline in economic performance that is also happening globally can be used as momentum for Indonesia to make improvements [2]. One of them is forcing industry players to shift more quickly to the digital era.

The development of the advertising industry in Indonesia is changing very fast. As a creative industry that produces marketing products or services, advertising is the main strategy in the process of marketing activities. The process of conveying commercial messages to the public and then carrying out persuasive messages to invite potential consumers to make purchases or spread advertising messages is the main purpose of advertising. Advertising has the power to shape consumption patterns, lifestyles, and people’s thinking patterns. The high interest in advertising is due to the large number of business actors who need a medium to market their products.

In product marketing activities, business actors or brands need intermediaries who can convey their product messages creatively to attract consumer interest. One of the most popular ways to market a product is by advertising. In English, the term advertising comes from Latin, namely ‘advertere’, which means ‘turn towards’. Advertising is a form of market communication which aims at providing information about the product to the customers through mass media and persuades customers to buy the product [3].The expected action by advertising personnel and business actors after seeing the advertisements aired is to buy the ideas that have been submitted; the form of delivering messages and ideas then develop into a product or service. Therefore, advertising is a non-personal and commercial communication about an organization or product that is transmitted to the public or target audience through mass media, such as radio, television, direct mail, magazines, and others, with the aim of persuading or influencing.

An advertisement can be said to be successful if it has affected the brand existence of the goods or services of a company. The more attractive the advertisement produced, the more consumers will be aware of the existence of the product. This will have an impact on the strength of the advertised brand, becoming better known to consumers, becoming top of mind, and much more. Through The Line (TTL) is an advertising technique that includes two activities at once which can take the form of digital marketing using top-line media as its main practice, as well as presenting advertising output using lower-line media or 360-degree marketing, which spreads advertising campaigns using different digital and conventional media.

The focus in this research is TTL advertising techniques used by TBWA\ as an advertising agency for Samsung Indonesia’s marketing strategy consultant. The advertising campaign team for Samsung in TBWA\ is divided into two, namely the Above The Line team and the e-commerce team. Each team has an account management team that contains account executives as the spearhead of the company.

2. Literature Review

An advertisement can be said to be successful if it has affected the brand existence of the goods or services of a company. The more attractive the advertisement produced, the more consumers will be aware of the existence of the product. This will have an impact on the strength of the advertised brand, becoming better known to consumers, becoming top of mind, and much more. Advertising strategy based on media segmentation is divided into three techniques, namely Above The Line (ATL), Below The Line (BTL), and Through The Line (TTL).

Above The Line (ATL) advertising is where mass media is used to promote brands and reach out to the target consumers. These include conventional media as we know them, television and radio, advertising, print as well as the Internet. This is communication that is targeted to a wider spread of audience and is not specific to individual consumers. ATL advertising tries to reach out to the masses as a consumer audience.

[4]

The ATL advertising technique is part of general promotional activities to a wide audience. An ATL advertising technique is an advertising or marketing activity carried out using top-line media, such as television, print media, and electronic media, as an effort to form the desired brand image. This advertising technique does not target a specific audience but is aimed at all audiences or a very broad audience. With this ATL advertising technique, brands can more easily reach many people so that they can increase brand awareness and build an image with the message conveyed in the advertisement.

Below The Line (BTL) advertising is more one-to-one, and involves the distribution of pamphlets, handbills, stickers and promotions, brochures placed at point of sale, and advertising on roadsides through banners and placards. It could also involve product demos and samplings at busy places such as malls and marketplaces or residential complexes. For certain markets, such as rural markets where the reach of mass media such as print or television is limited, BTL marketing with direct consumer outreach programmers does make the most sense.

[4]

The difference between ATL and BTL advertising is in the nature of the media; where Above the Line advertising uses broad but limited media and does not target a specific audience, Below the Line uses media that are directly aimed at a specific audience, and Through The Line combines the two theories.

3. Methodology

The study used a descriptive study design with a qualitative approach. The location was at TBWA\, a full-service advertising agency that provides almost all advertising and marketing needs. TBWA\ was established in 2004 and provides digital and non-digital marketing and advertising services. Located in Mulia Business Park Garden Building, Jl MT Haryono Kav 58–60, South Jakarta City, TBWA\ was the premiere integrated advertising agency in Indonesia in 2019, with a current total of 200 employees. The research respondents were the structure within the Samsung team in TBWA\. In this study, the structure will focus on Samsung’s TTL teams.

Data collection techniques were systematic observations, also known as structured observations, namely observations that contain the factors and special characteristics of each observed factor. In systematic observations, the content and extent of observations are more limited, adapted to the purpose of observation, and usually have been formulated at the beginning of the preparation of the observation design, so that responses and observed events can be recorded more accurately, and possibly quantified. In this observation, the observer makes an observation plan, but it is not used as standardly in systematic observation, meaning that the observer can change the subject of the observation based on the field situation [5].

4. Result and Conclusions

In Q1 2021, Samsung launched several of the latest technology products ranging from mobile phones to household technology. In terms of technology products, mobile phones are Samsung’s most famous products. Samsung divides the mobile phone product segment into two based on the price and target market of the product. The upper-middle target is classified as premium, and the lower-middle target is the middle segment.

Samsung has always been careful in approaching advertisement through marketing tools to the target market, especially for products that have middle to high targets. As a brand that has premium looks, Samsung is required to be able to present more premium marketing content for its middle and upper target audience. One of them is the project that Samsung created in 2021 for their famous S series that recently came out, namely, the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G.

The Galaxy S21 5G series is a Samsung mobile phone product launched in Q1 2021. The Galaxy S21 5G series is included in Samsung’s top premium segment with a target market of SES A. For the launch of the Galaxy S21 5G series, Samsung collaborated with TBWA\ Indonesia to make a digital video advertisement.

The concept promoted by Samsung for the launch project for the Galaxy S21 5G series is a short action movie, entitled “The Epic Escape”. The big idea of this project as illustrated in Figure 2 that will be communicated to consumers is “Make Your Story Epic” which has the intention of inviting people to tell their daily lives using the Galaxy S21 series 5G, which has very complete features. Samsung wants to position the Galaxy S21 series 5G as a gadget with extraordinary features. One of the most highlighted features in this project is the night camera or night mode, which is owned by the Galaxy S21 5G series, meaning this digital video advertisement scene was mostly shot at night.

4.1. Market Segmentation

• Geographic, Samsung’s target is people who live in big cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta and Surabaya, whose cities are surrounded by various digital media.
• Demographic, men and women living in big cities aged 21–45 years consisting of businesspeople, career men/women, employees/expertise/professionals. The selected target SES level is A or upper class which includes people who are financially independent and have a high fixed income with education above high school.
• Psychographic, people who are trendy, active, energetic, value time, have high mobility, and care about quality. In addition, Samsung’s target is also loyal users who have a sense of ownership of Samsung.
• Behavioral, someone with an urban lifestyle who is active in urban areas and works with a hectic schedule, so they need an effective cell phone to carry out their work and daily activities. Samsung consumer behavior is usually a loyal user who has characteristics that match Samsung products. These users tend to look for beauty in the design provided, appropriate and effective features, and technological updates offered by Samsung.

4.2. Persona

Samsung targets the market share of men and women aged 21–45 years who are active, energetic, and have a tight schedule. If described in terms of persona, the target consumer of the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G series is someone like Ernest Prakasa, a writer, businessman, YouTuber, producer, and influencer who has a busy schedule, but is still up to date and active on social media.

Ernest Prakasa as a Samsung ambassador stated in an Instagram post that the Samsing Galaxy S series is reliable. As we can see in Figure 3, his daily schedule and activities mean Ernest Prakasa needs a gadget that is functional and has many features that can help him in his daily life. Ernest Prakasa’s personality, which appears simple but productive, also matches the characteristics of the Galaxy S21 5G series.

4.3. Target Market

Samsung sets its target market as men and women aged 21–45 years who follow the latest technology trends or are technology savvy. The lifestyle of Samsung’s target market tends to be driven by high consumption of digital media. Their audiences also engage in or watch web series frequently and follow celebrities and their aspirational and effective lifestyles. Samsung’s target market uses social media in their daily activities and pays attention to the latest news on social media. The intended target is also concerned with the features of their mobile phone, especially in terms of the camera.

Samsung targets the Samsung Galaxy S market at people who live in urban areas. This is because, in the city center, people are well informed through social media and other means of promotional strategies. Information about the whereabouts of the Samsung Galaxy S will reach them as expected and the quality of the prestigious smartphone will be recognized in urban centers. This will also help increase the demand for the product, thereby expanding its market share. In addition, Samsung targets young professionals, businesspeople, and the upper and middle class who are willing and able to buy Samsung products. This will help the company to market the product effectively to potential customers as their interests tend to be related and they have something in common with each other.

With an advertising concept that is energetic, cheerful, and positive to showcase Samsung’s innovative and attractive products, Samsing is adopting a concept that really highlights the technology in this newly launched Galaxy S21 series 5G mobile phone. Having tried all the commercial details discussed, it shows that Samsung is focused on the conscious progressive’s target segment.

People who fall into the target segment of conscious progressives are intellectual and knowledgeable people. These targets like to seek new knowledge and information because they make all their decisions based on their skills and what they know. Conscious progressive targets attach great importance to self-improvement, quality of life development, and striving to make life better with their decisions. Conscious progressive targets are open-minded and have a practical outlook on everything.

Conscious progressive targets are easily attracted to entertainment ads related to them. When it comes to shopping, they make purchasing decisions based on emotional reasons. They want the functionality of the product they choose to match the images and information provided. People from this target segment attach great importance to the quality of the products they buy. They regard product quality as a priority. At the same time, the convenience that the product creates becomes very valuable to them.

Careful and precise positioning can create a good brand image in the minds of customers. Each company decides for themselves how they will orient their positioning strategy. It depends on the type of company, industry, product, and more. In a highly competitive electronics industry, Samsung is one of the most influential and popular companies. In this industry, there is always a need and demand for something new and innovative. Any company in the electronics industry needs to constantly come up with new features, better options, and the development of attractive product designs.

With this in mind, Samsung is positioning itself as a smartphone brand that produces the highest quality, most innovative, and most customer-focused products to build a strong brand image. For the Galaxy S21 series 5G project, the positioning set is The Phone that Changes Everything to Make your Everyday Epic. Samsung offers a consumer experience, informative product insights, and innovative technology. By positioning the brand based on the functionality provided in the product, the experience it provides, and what it has to offer, Samsung is positioning their new product as a convenient device that can be used both professionally and personally. Samsung is always introducing new technologies that help them create brand balance. New features, new options, and other novelties help Samsung to maintain a leading position among other strong competitors in the electronics industry. With this positioning, Samsung has succeeded in bringing new opportunities, attracting customer interest and curiosity.

4.4. SWOT

SWOT analysis is an aid to formulating a company strategy based on a logic that can maximize opportunities and strengths while simultaneously minimizing threats that become weaknesses. In identifying the problems that arose in the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series 5G project, a SWOT analysis was taken to create the right strategy to proceed and make a decision. The following is a SWOT analysis that has been carried out on

Table 1. Samsung Indonesia SWOT Analysis.

STRENGTHS	WEAKNESSES	OPPORTUNITIES	THREATS
Technology innovation and development (Research & Development) Huge Asian market share Android operating system 8K Quad Camera 108 MP	There have been several product failures Relying on sales of low-entry-level cell phones	High investment in advertising budget 5G connection Partner with global software developers for technology development and innovation	Competitors such as Apple, Xiaomi, etc. Duplicate cell phone COVID-19 pandemic for premium class cell phone sales

below:

4.5. Media Placement

The choice of media in advertising becomes important for the success of a campaign. In selecting the media project for the launch of the Galaxy S21 5G series, Samsung used TTL media.

In Figure 4. Samsung’s media strategy that took place during January 2021 has a goal that building high engagement or interaction on a product’s social media will encourage the target audience to find out more about the advertised product so as to increase brand awareness. Optimization of social media such as Instagram and YouTube is the right step, especially for video ads. Besides that, not only using social media brands, Samsung also uses promotional media through KOL social media whose audience is mostly Samsung’s target market. One example of KOL that Samsung uses to collaborate is Folkative, an information platform that is very popular among millennials. This is proven by the high engagement and views that Samsung accrues through this collaboration.

One of the social media used in Samsung's digital campaign is @folkative where Samsung’s advertising concept is one that is energetic, cheerful, and positive to showcase Samsung’s innovative and attractive products as we can see in Figure 5. In the launch project for the Samsung Galaxy S21 5G series, no pretesting was carried out and because the launch project for the Galaxy S21 5G series had not been completed, there was no exposure or data on the results of the post-test and evaluation. Therefore, the author will analyze it and explain the results of the interactions and views that Samsung accrued during this project. The references used in this presentation are digital videos on YouTube, banners and video teasers on Instagram, along with engagements such as comments, likes, views, as well as the results of reach and impressions from the campaign hashtag for the launch of the Galaxy S21 5G series, namely #GalaxyS21.

Samsung targets the Samsung Galaxy S market to people who live in urban areas. This is because, in the city center, people are well informed through social media and other means of promotional strategies. As we can see in Figure 6 below, Samsung publishes their digital video results via YouTube as its main platform. With a channel that has 2.35 million subscribers, Samsung has managed to reach an audience of hundreds of thousands, with a total of 1.1 million views as of 13 March 2021, when the digital video was first launched. Besides reaching 1.1 million views, Samsung also accrued 4100 likes and 46 comments.

For Instagram, Samsung published its banner ads and digital videos on the same day. The banner accrued 4059 likes and 183 comments while the digital video accrued 46,425 views and 303 comments. This interaction is quite high compared to their other content.

The hashtag that Samsung used during the launch campaign for the Galaxy S21 5G series was #GalaxyS21. As we can see in Figure 7 below, the hashtag attained 981,859 followers reach and 1,981,304 impressions.